Handcuffs
by S. Schumaker
Summary: AS Akito Hayama is a very famous, uncatchable assassin. He's the most sought after hired killer in the world. But how will he handle his newest target? His first love...Sana Kurata?
1. Prologue

"**Handcuffs"  
****by: S. Schumaker**

Standard Disclaimers Apply

* * *

**Prologue**

_A group of highway cleaners discovered an unidentified body near Highway 51 Tuesday. It is said that the body had probably only been there a few hours before the crew found it. No one has reported a missing person's description of John Doe at this time. Police are investigating the crime until further notice. If you have any information regarding this murder, please contact the Tokyo Police Station._

The young man, whom no one recognized, sat at the back of a dark, crowded bar. He was sipping on a small glass filled with Bourbon. His eyes were dark; his hair a dirty blond. He was alone. His fingers traced over the short article in the newspaper, hidden away between the funnies and the TV guide. He had read it so many times that he had it practically memorized. His mind replayed that same night, over and over. Remembering every detail of it, seeing everything so clearly, almost like it was happening before him in a play. He remembered glancing over his contract, his deal. He remembered dressing in the dark colored clothes, the dark suit, the dark tie. He remembered it all, and he was proud of his work.

The one thing he could never remember was how he got himself in this business. How he had been chosen to end lives. Kill. He enjoyed his work, and god knows he was good at it. He was one of the most popular assassins alive. And he knew it. After his assassination of a famous Japanese political icon, he became hugely popular. People in the streets were talking about this unknown killer; others were contacting him for jobs. It seemed that he would never get a break. Except at times like this. He always took a night off after a job. No matter where in the world he was, he always stopped at a bar to drink a glass of bourbon for his deeds. He needed that release. He needed to show his victim that he respected them. They deserved his respect even though he felt he himself did not truly deserve it.

As he downed the last of his drink, he pushed the glass aside. He took in a breath as he reached for the manila envelope at his side. There was no writing on it anywhere. No name. No address. Blank. He flipped it open, letting the contents fall onto the table in front of him. He began searching through the items he was given. His new employers name: Jean-Pierre Noire. French. He hated the French. Loved the language. As his eyes continued scanning through the paperwork, he noticed the sum of money he would be given after completely his job. 13,000,000,000 yen. He nearly choked. He had never been offered an amount of money so large. Something was fishy about this case.

He collected his things and went on his way. Once in his silver Ford Mustang, he scanned at the enclosed picture of his next victim. It was a female. He looked over the picture that he received of her. She was gorgeous. Long flowing brown hair, deep brown eyes to match. He knew that face. He just couldn't seem to place it. He looked down at her name and gulped. Now he knew where he recognized her. He stared down at his first love. At the first person that truly touched his heart. His sweetheart from 10 years prior. Kurata Sana.

To Be Continued…

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_(AN: REVIEW PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks!)_

13,000,000,000 Japanese yen would be equivalent to about 111,779,814 US dollars.


	2. Chapter 1

"**Handcuffs"  
****by: S. Schumaker**

Standard Disclaimers Apply

* * *

**Chapter One**

She stood behind the small counter, her feet aching from the high heeled shoes she wore. She looked down at the watch on her wrist, as she glanced back toward the wide entryway. She sighed in happiness as the final passenger aboard flight 362 finally came forward from the terminal. She smiled happily, her day was almost over. She watched the man walking toward her, a small black briefcase in his hand. She had to admit that he was simply gorgeous. He looked to be American, his crisp black suit pressed and his hair a little long, flowing into his eyes. She nearly choked out: "Votre passeport, s'il vous plaît," as he approached her.

Akito Hayama glanced at the smiling flight attendant and gave a little smirk. He reached into the pocket inside his jacket and removed his passport, handing it to the woman. He kept her gaze as she opened the small book, glancing over his picture and information briefly. He gave her a smile he knew would send quivers down her spine. He was trying to distract her from his false passport, and he was doing just that. "Ah, bienvenue, Monsieur Johnson." The beautiful blond woman replied, giving him a dashing smile. Akito gave a small chuckle, watching her nearly melt in his presence. "Merci, ma chérie." When she returned his passport, he gave her hand a small kiss in thanks. He slid the book back into his jacket and headed toward the exit, on his way to Nice, France.

Once outside in the warm Nice air, he hailed down a taxi and headed toward his private castle, Château de la Fleur. He never traveled with more bags than his simple briefcase. Ever. Due to his line of work and the amount of money that he had, he owned numerous houses and apartments across the globe including the Château de la Fleur. During the drive to his Nice home, his mind began to replay his childhood and the times he spent with his current target.

He was never a very talkative boy, and even a less talkative man, but young Kurata Sana brought out feelings inside his troubled mind that he had never felt before or since his time with her. They met in junior high and instantly were enemies. He was a troublemaker, and she was always in the spotlight. She was well loved by everyone who knew her and anyone that met her was immediately in awe of her. She had an amazing light which caused crowds of people to admire her. She became an actress at a very young age and was an instant success. She did commercials, plays, dramas on television, and even movies before she was sixteen. Her brilliant smile lit up Japan and soon Akito himself was affected by it.

After numerous arguments in school and a bubbling hatred for the young girl, his feelings for her began to change as she took him under her wing and really helped change his life for the good. She reconnected his family and helped Akito to express his feelings openly when he was hurting. Their relationship soon became a very deep friendship that no one could break apart. As time moved forward, so did their feelings for one another. Akito fell hard for her, harder than any man has ever fallen for a woman. At the young age of fifteen, he had found his true love and he never wanted to lose her. The two of them were inseparable, but soon Sana's fame began to slowly chip away at their deep love for one another. Every month she was sent off somewhere to work on a movie or commercial. She was always gone and Akito's heart couldn't stand the heartache of being apart from her. The last straw in their relationship occurred when Akito's family decided to move to America when he turned sixteen. He had absolutely no say in the decision and was forced to move away from Japan and away from Sana. They tried desperately to make it work, hopeful that the distance wouldn't break them apart. However as the months passed, neither could deny that they were losing touch with each other. They were no longer apart of each other's lives and soon broke it off for good. Akito hasn't spoken to her since.

As he sat in the back seat of the taxi cab, he opened up his briefcase and removed the manila envelope once more. He found the recent picture of her and held it tightly in his hands. The memory of Sana's beauty when they were together was nothing compared to the current picture Akito had of her. She had turned into a gorgeous woman and he found himself extremely drawn to her beauty. Her hair was long and shiny. He longed to run his fingers through it once again. As he looked at her eyes, he noticed a sparkle in their depths. She definitely wasn't the same girl she was at sixteen. Her smile was very seductive and Akito found himself getting aroused at the mere sight of the picture. He quickly slid the photo back into the envelope, closing and locking his briefcase in haste. As he slammed the lid of the case closed, the taxi cab came to a halt in front of his dear château.

The castle was very old, the brick gate surrounding it was chipping away and covered in vines. Akito stepped from the cab, paid the driver, and began to walk up the long path toward the front doors. Along the path were flowers of every kind and color. The fragrances nearly knocked Akito out as he moved through them. He hardly recognized the different sculptures and lawn art leading up to the front door. It had been many years since he had stayed in this castle and he wondered what other changes would await him inside.

After walking for nearly five minutes, he reached the tall oak doors. Before he could grasp the large steel handles, the door swung open and six cheerful faces greeted him. Akito looked over the people in his house and recognized his two maids, his cook, his butler, his driver, and his personal assistant. All six of them made their homes the Château de la Fleur and it had been years since he had been in contact with them. "Ah! Welcome Mr. Ackerman! It's been such a long time!!" He smiled at the charming voice of Luc Dubois, his driver. He put out his hand for a shake in greeting, but instead young Luc grabbed him and embraced him tightly. Akito laughed at his employee, performing le bise with everyone else in turn after Luc finally released his disarming hug.

"Are you here on business, sir?" his personal assistant Juliette asked.

"Yes, I am. I will be staying here for at least a week. I'm sorry I didn't inform you all sooner, but you know my line of work doesn't really allow time to stop and make a phone call." Akito smiled. The seven of them moved into the house further and continued to make small talk for awhile. "Well, I think I'll go to my room to rest for awhile. Jet lag is a bitch. Dinner is still at nine?"

"But of course, Mr. Ackerman!!" the cook, Henri replied, giving him a thumbs up. Akito smiled at him before moving towards the stairs and up to the third floor. Once he reached his floor, he had to stop and think about where to go. The castle had nearly seventy rooms and Akito's memory was a little fuzzy. Eventually though, he remembered that it was the door which contained a large door knocker shaped like a snake. He slowly began walking down the long hallway, checking each door as he passed by them. His shoes clicked softly on the marble floor and echoed down the hall as he continued on. Finally, he reached a large mahogany door with a snake embedded into it's center. He opened up his briefcase and slid open a side pocket, removing a very large, very old key. He ran his fingertips over it gently before sliding it into the keyhole on the door, and turning the lock. The door opened with ease and he quickly slid in, checking the hallway of any people before slamming the door shut and locking it behind him.

To Be Continued...

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_(AN: I think that I'll leave it at that this time. It's been so long since I've updated so here a little taste for all of the readers out there. Please R&R...and if you have any knowledge about guns, please e-mail me...because I know jack about them...and obviously, they are a HUGE part in this story...anyone please let me know what you think!! Thanks!!)_

Votre passeport, s'il vous plaît - Your passport, please

Bienvenue - Welcome

Ma chérie - My dear

Château de la Fleur - Castle of the Flower (Yes, I totally made this up...lol!)

Le bise - The Kiss (This is the traditional greeting of the French, the "air-kissing" between good friends and acquaintances)


	3. Chapter 2

"**Handcuffs"  
****by: S. Schumaker**

Standard Disclaimers Apply

_(AN: What have I been thinking? Leaving this story unfinished for so long. Man! I'm sincerely sorry everyone! I hope this next chapter fulfills any desires for more that you may have. Enjoy! Also, I apologize for the extreme lack of knowledge about the guns used in this chapter . . . please forgive me . . . I'm not a hunter/gun handler and probably never will be one.)_

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**Chapter Two**

After Akito turned the lock on the door behind him, he turned and gazed around the room. A large smile erupted over his lips at the sight of his room. Every inch of the walls was covered up by weapons. Guns, knives, axes, swords, and even a couple grenades. He moved over to his desk, dropping his briefcase down on top of it and moving toward a gun nearby. He picked it up, a 9-mm hand gun. Dusting it off, he tossed it from hand to hand, turning around to point it at an invisible target behind him. He smiled briefly before replacing it on the shelf.

Pulling out the desk chair, he sat down and opened up his briefcase, removing Sana's file from it. He flipped it open and was immediately greeted by the picture of her again. He scanned over her face in it quickly before tossing it in his briefcase and slamming it shut. He couldn't distract himself from this case. It was simply another case, another kill. Even if they knew each other ten years ago, he would eliminate this target. He began to read her file carefully. She currently was living about twenty minutes north of Nice, France and had really made a name for herself. She was now a world-known actress and her popularity couldn't have been greater.

Akito began to wonder about the main that hired him. Why would he want such a beautiful, famous, popular actress killed? Well, it didn't really matter and it certainly wasn't Akito's place to even question his new employer. He was contracted for this job, and there was nothing in the world that would stop him from carrying it out.

He scanned over her history in France. She had never married, had no children, and was currently dating a French actor named Jacques Pinot. She lived in a large mansion in the country, alone. Akito flipped into the file a couple of pages and found the layout to Sana's house and yard. This would definitely be a tricky job. He looked over the blueprint. His eye was scanning for a potential weak spot in the security, but lost hope when he read more about the system.

She had a large fence surrounding her land, the only way inside the gate was through a steel fence which was guarded by a guardhouse with two guards waiting inside. All guests had to be called into Sana before they could pass through that gate. Once inside, two watchdogs roamed the yard, and six more guards walked around the fence and pathways, often checking the guest's ID again. After passing through the yard and reaching the front doors to the house, cameras were set up so that Sana could again confirm the identity of her guest and allow the automatic doors to unlock and allow them entry. Only the password spoken by Sana would unlock those doors and allow Akito the chance to get inside. After successfully being confirmed by Sana, he would have to step through a body scanner that would scan his body inside and out for potential weapons before he could actually step a foot inside the house.

Akito leaned back in his seat, running over the possible options he had. He could either take a sniper shot from a nearby tree to eliminate her, or he would have to reconnect with Sana in the hopes that she would invite him inside her home. After contemplating how to structure his plan, he decided the best way to figure if the sniper shot was possible would be to do some reconnaissance at the house first. He truly hoped that it was because having to get personally involved in a case was one of Akito's main rules he held for himself.

He packed up the files, quickly memorized Sana's address, and walked out of the room, locking it tight behind him. He made his way down to the main hall of the Château and picked up a telephone near the front parlor. "Oui, Monsieur Ackerman?" A man answered on the other end.

"Would you pull the car around, Luc? Merci." Akito spoke into the phone, no trace of the Japanese accent he held when he knew Sana. He thought back on their time together. It really felt like an entire lifetime ago, not just ten years. He wondered how she had changed. She couldn't still be the spazzy, cheerful, overly dramatic girl he once knew. She was grown up now and he began to wonder just what she was like.

Akito stepped outside into the castle grounds and began walking down the path toward the driveway. He noticed Luc pull up in the black Mercedes and step outside of the car, moving toward the rear door and pulling it open for Akito. Akito got closer and walked passed Luc to the front seat. "I think I'll drive myself today, Luc. Merci beaucoup." Akito smiled at his driver before sliding into the seat and driving off toward Sana's home.

Nearly a half hour later, Akito found himself driving down a dirt road, the mud spraying underneath his tires. In the distance, he could see Sana's house. It was nearly the size of his Château and certainly was protected as tightly as his was. Akito slowed down, noticing a swarm of media vans and reporters blocking the front gate. They were all standing around waiting for something, cameras up and running, and facing his car. Akito pulled to a stop at the edge of the road, a few hundred meters away from the gate and began to scan around the property, looking for the perfect place for his sniper shot.

Akito glanced back toward the reporters to see them all racing toward him, he leaned back in his seat in shock. What were they coming over here for? He reached for the keys in the ignition to start up the engine again when he noticed something, or rather, someone in his rearview mirror. A woman was running, clad in black spandex capri running slacks, a black sports bra, and a grey zip-up sweater. Her auburn hair was pulled into a high ponytail and was whipping left and right as she ran toward him. Akito turned in his seat to gaze out the back window, his eyes transfixed on the beautiful woman.

"Sana! Sana! Over here!"

"Sana!!"

"Ms. Kurata!!"

Akito heard outside, he flipped back toward the front of his car to see the reporters nearly on top of him, racing toward the running woman. Akito's mouth dropped open, that woman was his target? She was even more radiant in real life! He looked back to her and saw her slowing down to a walk to greet the reporters and have her picture taken. Sana began to answer one of the reporters questions as Akito started up his car, in the hopes of simply driving off without being seen. However, the engine revving up caught Sana's eye and see looked in at the driver, walking away from the reporters to see who it was.

Akito slowly began to pull back onto the road, waving off reporters that were blocking his path. He looked back and saw Sana's eye on him, trying to catch up to him. He needed to get out of there. He was one of the world's greatest assassins simply because he could get the job done without ever being seen! "Wait, please!" Sana called, racing toward Akito quickly. She easily caught up due to the blocked road and walked up to the passenger side window, knocking on the darkened glass. "Excuse me, monsieur?" Sana called. Akito refused to turn toward her, his eyes on the road in front of him, Sana's sweet voice infiltrating his car. "Akito-kun?" She asked, her sincere eyes sparkling.

Akito blanched. She recognized him? He slowly turned his head to face her, a large smile covering her lips as she realized it really was her childhood lover. She ran around the car, pulling open the driver side door and nearly wrenching the startled Akito out of his seat and crushing him with an embrace. An embrace that made the reporters surrounding them go wild. Camera flashes were blinding Akito, a video recorder was nearly pressed against his cheeks.

"Who's the mystery man, Sana?"

"Tell us your name, kid!"

"Look over here, Sana!"

Akito just stood there, the beautiful actress wrapped around him, cameras flashing. He didn't know what to do. His identity had been revealed to the entire world and to his victim. Pictures of him would appear on the TV, in magazines. He was finished. The job was simply impossible now. They were linked together. They were linked because of his own stupidity. His career as a world-renowned assassin was over, all because of one woman and his damn curiosity . . .

To Be Continued . . .

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_(AN: Well, after such a long break from this story . . . it was hard to get back into it . . . But, I'm really glad with how this turned out. If you didn't know it about me . . . I rarely__ plan__ stories. I just write and see where it takes me. I guess this story took me here. What did you think of it? Please review it. For me? Thanks!)_


	4. Chapter 3

"**Handcuffs"  
****by: S. Schumaker**

Standard Disclaimers Apply

_(AN: First of all, I want to sincerely apologize to all my readers out there that have been desperately waiting for an update from me. I was going through some medical issues and financial ones as well. Anyway, here is chapter three of Handcuffs, also be expecting updates in my HP and MB fics as well! Enjoy this chapter!)_

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**Chapter Three**

He felt his heart racing as the young beauty holding his hand pulled him through the crowd of reporters toward the front gate of her home. He grabbed a pair of sunglasses from his jacket, shoving them onto his face in order to conceal as much of his identity as he possibly could. His head bowed down, his eyes practically uncontrollable as they roamed over her scantily clad figure. Her skin was glistening with a sweat from her run, her smooth stomach showing. He longed to run his hands over her body, longed for her to embrace him again, almost salivating in the remembrance of how her body felt underneath his fingertips.

They reached the gate, Sana spoke briefly to one of the guards in the guardhouse and the gate quickly swung open, allowing them entrance and blocking out the reporters quick on their tail. They made their way up the long path to the front door as a few guards raced up to them to confirm who had entered the premises. Soon, they had reached the door and entered the mansion, a quick scan of their bodies and they were allowed into the house. Akito thanked his lucky stars that he wasn't currently packing any weapons as he was pulled into the house and embraced tightly once again by the beautiful actress at his side.

Akito was speechless. This wasn't going at all like he had planned.

"What on earth are you doing here, Akito-kun?" Sana nearly yelled at him, standing back to gaze deeply into his eyes. "How long has it been, anyway? Ten, twelve years?"

Akito just nodded his head in response, trying to think up some sort of fabricated lie that she would buy. The truth seemed to be all that ran through his mind. However, 'I came here to kill you,' just didn't seem like a good way to start up a conversation.

"Well, come on in!" Sana ushered him inside, moving off to a room on the right, flinging her tennis shoes off to the left. Akito stood still, watching as the shoes flew off and landed with a thud, nearly knocking over one of the house plants. He soon shook his own off, setting them neatly by the door before following after the young temptress. "We have so much to catch up on." She shouted back to him. "I want to know everything!"

"Um... okay." Akito replied, following her lead and moving into the next room. He watched as she flopped down onto a nearby couch, flipping her legs over one of it's arms.

"Have a seat!" Sana smiled, waving her arm in the direction of a chair. She reached behind her to a small table and pushed a small red button resting on it. In nearly thirty seconds, a young butler came racing into the room, a tray in his grip. Akito stumbled over to a chair, slowly sitting down, feeling extremely nervous.

The young butler rested a glass of lemonade near Sana and turned his head toward Akito, staring at him. Akito looked around briefly, wondering what this guy wanted. "Something to drink, sir?" the butler asked, sounding annoyed.

"Oh. No, I'm fine. Thank you." Akito responded, watching as the butler scuffed under his breath and stalked off in the direction he had come. Akito dropped his gaze to the floor, his hands fidgeting with anxiety in his lap.

"Jeepers, Akito. I haven't seen you this uptight around me since elementary school. It's me. Sana. You don't have to be so rigid. Now, I want to know everything that's happened to you since I last saw you. How is your father? How's Natsumi?"

Akito's face blanched. His jaw clenched. "Oh um...How are you?" Akito choked out, not answering her question.

He successfully changed the subject as Sana jumped in quickly with all the details of her life and her success as an actress. She told Akito about how her mother's newest novels were selling like wildfire and how her own movies were getting numerous awards from around the world. She told him stories from the different sets she had worked at, bragged about the different movies stars she knew like Jensen Ackles, Sarah Michelle Gellar, even Tom Hanks. She discussed the different locations she worked at, how exotic New Zealand was, how beautiful northern Canada was. She even told him all about her home, who had lived there before her, about her numerous servants.

The only thing that she didn't seem to reveal to him was information about her love life. Sure, Akito knew all about that from her file, but he wasn't letting on any of it and neither was she. He wondered if she just hadn't gotten around to the details yet or if she felt uncomfortable discussing them with him. He couldn't imagine the latter was true, but with Sana you just never knew.

After the many details were spilled about herself, Sana took a deep breath in finale. She smiled up at him, tilting her head off to the side slightly. "That's just about all. Now, no more stalling! I want to know what you've been up to! Do anything interesting lately?"

He racked his brain trying to think up something he could tell her. Something that wasn't too personal, too serious, or too honest. But with the circumstances that led his life in the direction they had, well, he couldn't seem to find anything that fit within those criteria. He leaned his head back against the chair, closing his eyes in thought. "What do you want to know exactly?"

Sana shifted on the couch, sitting up in slight alarm. She certainly remembered the standoffish way that Akito could behave, but she hadn't seen it since they were twelve. At the age of 26, she hoped that Akito hadn't returned back into his shell. She wasn't sure if she still had the energy to bring him back out of it.

"All right, how are your dad and sister? I haven't seen them since you three moved to the states."

Akito sighed, there really was no point in hiding it from her. She'd be able to get out all of his darkest secrets within the hour. "They're dead." He replied, his throat nearly choking out the words. It was the first time he had ever said that outloud.

"What?!" Sana jumped up off the couch, rushing over to his side. She kneeled down in front of him, her body easily squeezing in between his legs. She rested her hands on his knees, looking deeply into his eyes. "How? When?"

Akito looked down at her, the hurt of the news evident in her face. "They were shot to death about seven years ago. Wrong place, wrong time type of deal."

Sana just stared up at him, silently begging him to continue. "Once both Natsumi and I had moved out of dad's place, the three of us had arranged to carry out monthly dinners together just to keep in touch. Well, that particular night, I had business to attend to in Sydney. I was working at a bank and was constantly traveling around the world to bring in more international clients. Dad and Natsumi both had agreed to have dinner without me because the account I was working on was extremely important and needed my full attention. At the time, I was extremely grateful to the two of them for allowing me to skip dinner, but now...well, now I don't feel that way."

Akito took a break from his story, noticing a lone tear slide over Sana's cheek below him. His instincts took over and he found himself brushing the tear away with his thumb, his fingers grazing over her features a little longer than was necessary. He recalled the feel of her skin beneath his and was practically thrown back in time with that simple touch.

He noticed how Sana pressed her face against his palm and he instantly broke out of his trance. Dropping his hand back down to his lap and continuing in his memoir. "Anyway, after they had eaten at our favorite sushi restaurant in downtown New York City, they had walked outside and right in the middle of some sort of shootout. I never was given all the details, but apparently they were both shot a couple times by stray bullets. After that I left my work at the bank and well, have been simply searching for more answers since then." Akito slumped back in his chair once he was finished, looking down at his childhood sweetheart.

"How awful," Sana nearly sobbed out, her tears racing down her cheeks quickly. "Why didn't you call me?" Sana jumped up and into his arms, unnerving him easily. She climbed up into his lap, her legs curled around his as her arms wrapped themselves tightly around his neck. She sobbed gently into his shoulder. Akito returned the embrace, his arms tightening around her back. A lone tear slid from his own cheek, dropping gently unto her shoulder.

"How could I have possibly called you, Sana?" Akito asked, slightly angry toward the question. "There was no possible way for me to get your phone number or even your address. You were simply too famous."

Sana pulled back from him quickly. "I'm so sorry, Akito. I always told you that I'd be there for you no matter what, but I guess I failed at that." Sana slumped against his chest, her heart breaking for her old friend.

"It wasn't your fault, Sana. How could you have possibly known. The distance that came between us was inevitable. There was nothing you could have done, believe me. My life would have gone down the same path no matter if you had been there or not. Trust me, Sana." Akito pushed her away to catch her eyes.

Sana lifted her gaze back up to his, her eyes sparkling with tears. They held that gaze for a while, their pain, their memories surfacing inside of them both. Sana began to slowly move closer to him, her lips knew their course and they were headed to his. Akito let himself be lost in the moment, his heart racing. Was she moving in to kiss him? He held as still as stone, not wanting to startle her out of her journey.

Sana stopped a mere inch away from his, her cheeks flushed, her body pressed up and close to his. She glanced down at his lips. They were slightly apart in anticipation. She licked her own lips and continued with her descent.

Just as they were about to touch, the front door slammed open and a pair of hurried footsteps made their way toward the room they were currently occupying. "Sana darling, are you in here? What's with all the paparazzi? They kept asking me about some mystery man." A voice called out, startling Sana completely from her trance on Akito. She jumped off his lap and raced back to her couch just as the speaker entered the room. He was very handsome with dark brown locks that curled around his face. He was dressed in a simple sweater with khaki pants. The stranger halted in the doorway upon spotting Sana and the unknown man in the room.

Akito quickly realized this must be Sana's boyfriend and immediately stood to leave. "I better be going, Sana. It was really nice catching up with you." He instantly turned on his heel and raced from the room, slipping on his shoes and running out of the house. He made his way down the pathway to the gates which opened upon his arrival. He pushed his way through the crowd of reporters and jumped back into his car. Starting it up and driving off quickly.

A while later he had reached his chateau again. He sat in his car for a while in shock and in utter disbelief. He couldn't believe what had happened that afternoon and how honest he had been to her. He hadn't been that honest to anyone about anything in so many years that he almost didn't believe he had done it. He rested his head against the back of his seat, closing his eyes in thought. What on earth was he going to do now?

To Be Continued . . .

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_(AN: All right, I realize this chapter was a little lame, but I got out a little bit of Akito's history...more to come in the next chapter and revealed a little more about Sana's feelings and what not. Hoped you liked it. Please review!)_


	5. Chapter 4

"**Handcuffs"  
****by: S. Schumaker**

Standard Disclaimers Apply

_(AN: I realize that my updating is a little sporadic, but at least I'm doing it eventually, right? Anyway, here's the latest chapter. Akito's identity is plastered across the world . . . should be an interesting installment. Let me know what you think of it! Enjoy!)_

* * *

**Chapter Four**

His eyes squinted against the morning rays shining in on him as he lay sprawled out in the four-poster bed. He threw his legs over the side, letting them dangle over the edge. His feet flexed as he stretched his body awake. Sitting up, he turned his body so his feet landed softly on the cold stone floor.

Grabbing his robe and tossing it around his body, Akito stood and made his way out of his room, tying the robe around him on the way. He yawned loudly, hearing it echo down the long hallways of his castle. The slapping of his bare feet against the floor alerted a group of his servants at the hallway's end. They were leaning over something hidden from Akito's view, examining it intensely.

"Mr. Ackerman! You never told us you knew a celebrity!" Juliette shrieked, grabbing the magazine from the circle of workers and handing it over to Akito. His face blanched and his stomach flipped. It was the popular celebrities' magazine People and the hug he had received from his newest target was the cover photo. His face was entirely visible and easily recognizable. Akito looked over the cover, finding himself falling backwards into a nearby chair, his legs too weak to hold him up.

"Mystery lover? Has Sana broken up with long time love Jacques Pinot?" Akito read off the cover. "Details on her new man inside."

"Is it really true, Monsieur? Are you dating Sana Kurata?" Pierre, his butler, asked. Akito could only blink down at the cover in shock and inner shame. How had he been so reckless? He flipped open the magazine, searching for the article about himself. A few pages into the magazine and he found another large photo of himself, his face nearly as shocked in the picture as it was at the present moment. He began reading the article out loud, his voice sounding strained and unlike his own.

_Sana's Mysterious New Lover_

_A mysterious, unknown man met the young actress outside of her estate in Southern France yesterday. After a rather shocked Sana found him waiting before her house, she yelled out his name, "Akito-kun," and embraced him intimately. A friend of Sana's reported having never met the mysterious Akito-kun, but having heard stories about Sana's youth and the young love the couple shared. Is it possible that Akito has returned to reignite those past feelings? And how will this new addition to Sana's life affect her career and her relationship with current boyfriend Jacques Pinot?_

Akito stopped reading, not really caring about the remaining part of the article. They had heard Sana speak his name, his identity was revealed to the entire world.

"Akito-kun? Why did she call you that, Monsieur?" Juliette asked, taking the magazine out of his hands and looking at him puzzled.

"Oh, no worries darling." Akito smiled charmingly at her causing her face to heat up with a blush. "Just a childhood nickname." He explained before standing up and walking back toward his room. What he really needed was some quiet in order to figure out what his next step would be, or if there even was one.

Juliette, Pierre, and the other servants watched him walk back to his room in silence. Juliette dropped her gaze back down to the intimate photo of Sana and Akito on the magazine. "Monsieur Paul Ackerman nicknamed Akito-kun as a child? Seems strange, doesn't it? Wonder where Ms. Kurata thought that up . . . " Juliette wondered out loud before walking off to continue in her work, tossing the magazine on a small table in the hallway.

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"I really don't see what the big deal is, Claude. It's not like I kissed the guy or anything!" Sana explained, lounging on a couch, the same People magazine sprawled out on her lap.

"Sana! You know how these things work! Everything that you find piddly or insignificant is like holy water to these people!" Her manager Claude nearly shouted out, grabbing the magazine and waving it about it the air. "I mean look at this guy . . . he's gorgeous! Anyone would wonder about your relationship."

Sana sighed and sank back into the cushions. "Well, what am I supposed to do? I can't go to work with that trail of paparazzi on my rear all the time. Maybe I should just lay low for a while."

"No way! Are you crazy?! That would only make matters worse. Can you imagine what the reporters would write about you if you were seen bringing home an unbelievably attractive ex-boyfriend of yours and then disappearing for a few months? It'd be like celeb gossip heaven to these people!" Claude sank down in a nearby chair, fishing his brain for some sort of solution to his client's predicament.

A few minutes of silence passed between the manager and his client, before Claude spoke up again: "What did Jacques say about all this?"

Sana sighed to herself on the couch, forcing her body to an upright position. "Just like these reporters, he blew the whole thing out of proportion. Asking me about every little detail about my relationship with Akito. How long I'd known him, what was he doing here now . . . it was a nightmare."

"Well, what did you tell him?" Pressed Claude, moving closer to her, desperate for his own fill of gossip for the day.

"What could I tell him? I mean, we were kids. Our relationship was basically that, the kind of relationship teenagers have. And, the whole issue about what he is doing here I couldn't even answer because Akito skipped out of here before we could even get to that. So, after telling Jacques all that I could, all that I felt was necessary, he skipped out too, thinking that I was hiding things from him, I'm sure. It's all just one big mess!" Sana finished, slumping back onto the couch, exhausted just from remembering the conversation she had with her boyfriend last night.

"Hm, sounds like you're in for a rough year, honey." Claude laughed to himself, before standing and walking out of the room. "Still have some of that lemonade, dearie?" He shouted out from the next room over.

"Yeah, it's in the fridge, Claude!" Sana shouted back, just as her home security alarm started blaring unbelievably loud. Sana clapped her hands over her ears in pain, rushing over to the code panel on the wall. She quickly punched in her code, shutting down the alarm and looking around for the breech of security.

"Ms. Kurata? Are you all right?" One of her security guards asked over the intercom system. She pressed down the reply button and answered back: "Yeah, but what happened?" Before the guard could give her a reply, her front door slammed open, the echoes bouncing off the foyer and into the room she stood. The alarm started blazing with noise again, and in walked her mother, smiling sweetly at her daughter.

"Mom? What are you doing here?" Sana shouted to her mother over the blaring alarm as she tried desperately to turn it off again. She just walked in, dropping her purse onto the coffee table and dropping herself onto the couch that Sana had previously occupied. She grabbed the top of her hair, currently decorated up like the Eiffel Tower with Maro-chan sitting inside, and removed it, setting it down next to her purse.

Sana just looked at her mom, her fingers blindingly fidgeting with the alarm. Misako motioned her hand around in a little circle to her daughter toward the screeching alarm. Sana turned back instantly and quickly entered in her code, stopping the noise immediately.

"Finally. What, are you trying to make me go deaf, child?" Misako smiled at her daughter, propping her feet on the table and leaning back into the couch.

Seven bodyguards quickly raced into the room, guns drawn and all pointing toward Misako. She looked over the men briefly, before shrugging her shoulders and closing her eyes in content. "It's okay guys. Just Mama." Sana told her guards, slowly pushing down their guys and shooing them from the room.

"Whaffs haffening?" screeched Claude as he raced into the room, his mouth stuffed full with cookies.

Sana just slumped down into a chair, wondering that herself. "Mama, what in the devil are you doing here? I thought you were on a book tour in Tajikistan." Claude, after realizing his client was ignoring him sauntered back to the kitchen.

Misako stood suddenly, startling her daughter. She pulled something out from behind her, a magazine, and tossed it into Sana's lap. An array of foreign words that Sana couldn't understand were sprawled over the cover, but she could practically understand what they were saying simply by the picture that lay beneath them. Another picture of her embrace with Akito, this one altered to make it look like they were leaning in for a kiss. "This is what I'm doing here, daughter. Care to explain?"

With another sigh, Sana began her tale of Akito's sudden appearance and sudden disappearance. After she had explained how nothing really happened between them and how the picture was definitely a fake, she took a deep breath, waiting for whatever wrath her mother was about to give her.

"That's it? No kisses? No intimate sexual positions? How disappointing . . . " Misako groaned to herself, resetting her Eiffel Tower hairdo and grabbing her purse, standing up and heading for the door.

"Mama?! Where are you going?" Sana asked, startled by her mother's reaction.

"I'm leaving. I have a book tour to continue. But, really Sana, I'm a bit disappointed that you didn't do anything with Akito. I've always said that he was the boy for you. Tata!" And with that, Misako walked out the front door, setting the alarm off once again.

To Be Continued . . .

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_(AN: Yeah! A new chapter!! Leave reviews?)_


	6. Chapter 5

"**Handcuffs"  
****by: S. Schumaker**

Standard Disclaimers Apply

_(AN: Well, I'm going to try to update at least once a month. I know it's a terrible goal to shoot for, but my life is so hectic right now with college and job hunting and just plain breathing that it's hard to keep these stories updated. I've also added on my profile page a chapter release date, this is going to be kinda like my goal to shoot for and also for the readers to be able to have some sort of idea about when the next updates will be coming. So check my profile page often! Here's the latest chapter of Handcuffs, do enjoy!)_

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**Chapter Five**

The imaginary knife seemed to twist itself further into his temple causing his brain to ache and pulse with pain. He rubbed his throbbing forehead gently, hoping to massage away his headache. He laid himself down on a sofa in his living room, closing his eyes to block out the hurtful lights. Draping his arm across his closed eyelids, he took in a deep breath, wondering how his life became so screwed up due to one simple actress. 

As Akito tried to enjoy the minimal comfort he received from the couch, he noticed the sound of someone clearing their throat above him. Lifting his arm and opening his eyes, he found his butler standing before him holding a tray with something on it.

"Pierre?"

"Do forgive me, sir, but I thought you might like an aspirin or two?" Pierre set the tray down on a nearby table; it held a small bottle of aspirin and a glass of water. Akito smiled up at him, moving to a sitting position.

Reaching for the bottle, Akito replied, "You are much too kind, Pierre. What ever would I do without you?"

"Suffer tremendously, I'm afraid." Akito laughed at the response before downing a couple pills with a swig of water. Lying back down, Akito watched as Pierre grabbed the tray and exited the room with it.

Some time later, the pain relievers starting kicking in and he could actually relax enough to think clearly about his situation. The magazine article flashed in his mind once again. Really, having his image and real name in the papers wasn't so terrible, right? I mean, he never used his real name when traveling or even with his servants. All of his informants and supply guys knew him by one of his many aliases. But somehow, he felt very nervous.

Obviously, with the work of an assassin, many enemies are acquired and many secrets must be kept. He simply prayed that one of those enemies hadn't discovered his biggest secret, his real identity.

Just as his mind began to slowly shut down enough for him to relax, a soft beeping sounded at his hip. He moved his fingers down to his waist, grasping onto his beeper that was clipped to his pants. Raising it above his head, he flipped it open and read the message enclosed: "Drop, usual spot, meet Andre."

A groan escaped Akito's lips as he sat up on the sofa, twisted his body into a sitting position then standing to leave the room. Rarely did he receive these types of messages. Usually they only occurred when a new target was acquired or when a current target was being withdrawn. He wondered what Andre would be telling him today.

He made his way out of the castle and walked down to his garage. Opening up one of the large garage doors, his vision flooded with his classic car collection that he stored there. He sighed in content as he looked over his "babies" before heading inside the garage and hoping on one of his Harley's. He slipped on a pair of leather gloves before firing up the cycle and racing out of the building. A cloud of dust replaced him as he zoomed into the castle grounds and toward the gate.

The castle gates opened when they saw Akito racing toward them, he slowed down to a near stop to check the street beyond for any traffic, however, just as he was about to reaccelerate something hit him from the side, knocking him and the bike over easily. Akito, trapped underneath it, lifted his gaze to the side of the attack. His eyes were having difficulty focusing on the figure before him; all he could make out was a black blob. He was in trouble.

He used all of his energy to wriggle out from underneath the motorcycle, rising to his feet. He staggered slightly, his head aching unbelievably. He tried to focus himself, getting himself into an attack position as his opponent did the same. Akito used a hand to feel the back of his head where he had been hit, bringing it back out to see blood staining the glove.

Angrily Akito leaped at his foe, kicking and punching at him in a fluid and graceful manner. However, each of his hits were blocked by the skilled rival and the loss of his blood was making him dizzier and dizzier with each movement. Finally, one of Akito's punches landed on the man's jaw, sending his head flying to the side. But, the man bounced back quickly, sending a matching punch straight to Akito's cheek.

The heated battle continued on while one of Akito's guards sitting in the gate watch house noticed the fray and sounded the alarm. Akito could see out of his peripheral vision many people racing toward him to save him from the fight; however they wouldn't make it in time. The man dressed all in black grabbed a concealed weapon from his back, a revolver. Twisting it in his hand, he used the back of the weapon to smack Akito in the face, hard.

Akito, fighting back with all his remaining strength, tried desperately to hold onto consciousness, but another hit of the revolver and his eyes rolled back in his head and his vision went back.

Just as Akito fell to the ground unconscious, a black limousine pulled up to the curb. Three men jumped out and lifted Akito up and threw him into the back seat. The men and the attacker jumped in after him, speeding off just as Akito's guards made the scene.

Pierre, Luc, Juliette, and all of Akito's other servants raced to the end of the drive, watching as the vehicle which had only moments before kidnapped their beloved Paul Ackerman drove out of sight.

To Be Continued . . .

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_(AN: What'd you think? Please let me know if you liked it or not!!!)_


	7. Chapter 6

"**Handcuffs"  
****by: S. Schumaker**

Standard Disclaimers Apply

_(AN: Eee! I'm so excited for this chapter! It has so much action and mystery!! You're gonna love it, I hope... Anyway, I've been planning out this chapter since forever! It was actually the first thing I thought of when I thought up this story! It's where the title came from! Anyway, enjoy it, and please let me know what you think of it, __it'll be pretty violent__, so you young ones, don't read without parental supervision, okay? Enjoy!!)_

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**Chapter Six**

"A-ki-to-chan." A voice, whispering a name he hadn't gone by in years, roused him from unconsciousness. He tried to open his eyes, but they felt on fire, burning with pain. Stirring, he tried to move his body, finding himself bound to something, tightly. He wiggled his hips, a deep pain in his back from being pressed up against something hard, something solid.

The voice continued softly whispering his name; Akito tried focusing on it, hoping it would pull him back from slumber. "Wake up!" It shouted, followed instantly by a splash of cold water to his face. His right eye began blinking slowly, opening up to a harsh light. A man's figure stood before him, Akito's vision blurred. As he tried opening his left eye, he found he simply couldn't. It was swollen shut. A flash of recollection hit Akito; he remembered being attacked at his own home. The man that raced toward him, the fight that had ensued. He recalled giving in to darkness, his body unable to handle the abuse. They must have taken him somewhere.

Akito forced a cough, a small trail of blood dripping down his chin. As he shifted slightly, he found himself in a dank, dark building that smelled of mildew. He sat on a cold concrete floor, his back pressed against a wooden beam. Before him stood a man with a small chair behind him. Akito moved his fingers, wanting to bring them into a fist to knock out the stranger, to escape. He tried lifting his hand, bring it up, but he felt a cold metal touching his skin, shackling his hands together. Handcuffs.

"Finally, you're awake." Akito blinked a few more times, the man before him coming slowly into focus. "Only took you an hour. Gerald must have done some job on you, Akito Hayama."

As Akito heard his real name, he nearly choked. No one knew him by that name, not anymore. Who was this man? He began looking over his features, his chiseled brow, and his graying hair. He was dressed in an expensive Armani suit, his leather shoes clicking softly against the concrete floor as he paced before Akito.

"Who are you?" Akito's voice didn't sound like his own; it was harsh, broken, hurt. The stranger pulled up the chair, straddling it backwards before Akito. He laughed a long, loud laugh. Akito shifted nervously.

"I almost forgot! We've never actually met. I'm Jean-Pierre Noire, pleased to meet you." He held out a hand for Akito to shake, laughing again. "Oh, guess handshaking is out of the question, huh?" He stood again, pulling the chair away. Akito glared at him, the "joke" falling short on his captive.

Noire began walking around the beam holding Akito, his laughter fading to a slight chuckle. "Quite the predicament you're in, Akito-chan." He bent down behind Akito, picked up the handcuffs restraining his hands, before yanking them out and away from Akito. Akito's shoulders screamed in pain as they were pulled away from his body, slamming into the wooden beam behind him.

Akito let out a slight groan as Noire dropped his hands and walked around to face him once more. "You're the man that contracted my latest job against Sana Kurata, aren't you?" Akito asked, adjusting his arms to fight the pain.

His kidnapper smiled, nodding his head slowly. "Very good, Akito. You're catching on." Noire sat himself back down in the chair, looking off to his left.

Akito followed his gaze, seeing a set of steel doors shut tight. As Akito turned back around, he found Noire's eyes. "So, what'd you do? Contract me out just so you could find me, is that it?" Akito shifted his numbing legs.

"I'm impressed, Akito-chan. You catch on pretty quick." Noire dropped down to the floor, sitting atop Akito's fussing legs. He brushed a lock of Akito's blood soaked hair out of his eyes, pushing it back behind his ears. "I have to admit, I thought it'd be a little bit harder to find you. But, your dad was right. All I had to do was find the love of your life first. He knew you'd come crawling out of the shadows sooner or later."

Akito shifted under the weight of Noire, nearly choking out: "My dad? What?"

Noire simply laughed again, standing up and walking toward those steel doors. "You'll find out in due time, Akito-chan." He chuckled out before opening the doors and disappearing behind them, leaving Akito alone in the darkness.

Akito looked at the closed door that slammed behind Noire. He shouted at it: "What do you want with me?" But, of course, he didn't get a response. Akito forced himself to his feet, using the support from the beam to position his legs beneath him and pull himself to a stand. He looked around the room, trying to think of a way out.

First thing he had to do was to lose the handcuffs. Struggling against them, he thought frantically for a solution to get out of the bonds. Leaning forward, he pulled his fingers in tightly toward the palm of his hand before pushing away from the beam with his feet, trying to pull his hands out of the constricting handcuffs. The metal began cutting into his wrists from the force, blood seeping down to his fingers.

Eventually, the pain became too much for him and he released the pressure, letting his back fall against the pole again, defeated. He rolled his head back against the wood, allowing his good eye to close, to rest. His head ached, his back was sore, his eyes felt like they were on fire, and now his wrists were pooling fresh blood, but he had to try anything possible to get out of there. He could already tell that this wasn't your average kidnapping.

"Catching up on some sleep, then?" A male's voice laced with an Australian accent alerted Akito. The large steel doors slamming shut behind him. Akito forced open his eyes, blinking away the pain. He looked up, startled to see the man he had fought with in front of his home standing before him once more. Akito smiled to himself as he saw the man's black eye that he had received from the previous fight.

"Actually, yeah." Akito smarted back, pulling his body up straight, looking the man in the eyes. "Gerald, I presume?"

The man grunted as a response, flinging the chair out of his way. Akito watched as it flipped over and slid along the floor. Gerald readied himself in an attack stance.

"Now comes the torture, I presume?" Akito asked, readying himself as well. Gerald simply pulled back a fist and sent a blow to Akito's face in response. Akito's head whipped to the side from the attack, blood from his mouth flying across the room. Before Akito could adjust to the new found pain, another punch sent his head flying the opposite way. Punch after punch landed and Akito held on, not willing to back down, not willing to lose consciousness with him again.

Soon Gerald stopped, wiping away Akito's blood from his hands on a towel, staining it red. Letting loose a laugh, he slipped a hand into the pocket of his jeans, bringing out a pair of brass knuckles. Sliding it over his hand and tightening it up into a fist, he wielded it toward Akito.

With his first punch, two of Akito's teeth popped out of place nearly choking him. Gerald paused for a second, allowing Akito to spit them and a large amount of blood to the floor. "Ready?" Gerald asked before bringing his fist and the brass knuckles across Akito's head again. But even with Akito fighting to stay conscious, fighting to stay strong, the second hit was simply too much for him and he blacked out again, his legs giving out underneath him. Akito went sliding to the floor in defeat, a pool of blood trailing down from his gashed lips and cut cheeks.

Hours flew by as the pain in Akito's head became unbearable. As Akito found himself drifting in and out of dreamland, his mind ran over the words of Jean-Pierre Noire.

_"Your dad was right. All I had to do was find the love of your life…." _

His mind was restless, unfocused. He was somewhere between reality and fantasy. He imagined himself chasing after his father, screaming after him. "What is going on? Who is this Noire guy?" But the harder Akito ran, the faster his legs moved, the farther away his father became. He could never catch up, could never get a straight answer. Just when he was about to give up on the chase, a slamming door awoke him, bringing him back to real life, back to his captivity.

Akito felt someone behind him, someone unlocking the handcuffs. He wished for the strength he needed to escape, but his head felt like it had gone fifty rounds through a blender and couldn't seem to concentrate, couldn't focus. He allowed the stranger to lift him up and sit him down in a chair, the handcuffs quickly snapping into place behind him. Akito permitted his head to drop down against the back of the chair, his strength gone to the point where he couldn't even keep it raised.

He suddenly felt something cold against his cheek. He jerked away from the sensation, but was unable to move far enough away. The cold continued. He forced his tired, aching eyes open staring into the face of Noire, realizing that he was attempting to wipe the blood away from his face. "Stop." Akito barely whispered out, pulling away from the touch. Noire tried to continue in erasing the drying residue. "Just stop and tell me what you're after."

Noire nodded, backing off. He dropped the washcloth in a nearby bucket before taking a seat across from Akito. "Professional, I like that." Noire gave him a smile. "I want the documents. I know you have them." His face turned serious, almost deadly.

Akito attempted to sit up as best he could. "What documents? You have to be more specific, Noire."

"The documents from your father. You inherited them, I presume."

Akito scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. What was this about? Akito thought back to when his family was killed, the weeks and months after their deaths. He barely recalled getting all the burial arrangements together, the funerals. Even the will reading was a blur; he fled the country soon afterwards. He couldn't remember a thing that he had inherited, especially documents.

After explaining this to Noire, about how his memories of that time were blurred due to the depression and the agony of it all, he suddenly saw a change in Noire's demeanor. His face twisted in anger, a blood vessel protruded out of his forehead. Akito focused on the vein, watching it in awe. "Don't lie to me, dick!" Noire flew out of his chair, thrusting his knee into Akito's groin.

His scream echoed in the near-empty room, his legs coming together in a vain attempt to protect himself. He kicked out a leg toward Noire, missing his shin by mere inches, his anger getting the best of him. "I'm not lying, asshole! What fuckin' documents?"

Akito watched as Noire forced himself to calm down, he watched as the tightened muscles in his neck relaxed. He soon sat back down in the chair in front of him, crossing his legs. "All right, Akito. I've got all the time in the world, so whenever you feel like remembering, you just let me know, okay?" Noire patted a hand on Akito's knee before standing and leaving the room, only to be replaced by Gerald again.

"Oh no. C'mon man." Akito groaned out, watching the metal door slam shut leaving him alone once again with his torturer.

This time, Gerald pulled out a whip, slapping it hard against the floor a few times in an attempt to frighten his victim. He threw a quick punch to knock Akito off his guard before uncuffing him and immediately rechaining him around the wooden beam, this time with his chest facing inward. As Akito hugged the pole, he looked behind him into Gerald's face. It was lit up with excitement, with joy. "Go ahead and have your fun, Gerry. I still won't know what your talking about when you're finished." Akito smirked, turning around and readying himself for the abuse.

Whip. Whip. Whip. Akito remained silent, his shirt ripping with each strike, blood dripping down onto his pants and down the back of his legs. "No screaming?" Gerald teased, throwing an especially hard blow.

"Ah." Akito breathed, his legs giving out beneath him. He dropped down to one knee, his hands clasping together from behind the girder. Whip. Whip. Whip. With each hit, Akito's voice got louder and louder, not being able to control it.

Gerald, taking deep pleasure in his craft, took a step or two back, priming his arm for the next blow. With all his strength, all his power he let loose one final whip onto Akito's back. As Akito screamed out in agony, dropping to the floor instantly, Gerald smiled before rolling the whip up and exiting the room, Akito's scream echoing throughout the room behind him.

When Gerald heard the slam of the door, he let loose a small laugh, walking up to a table where his boss and three other men sat playing poker. He set the bloody whip down nearby as he took a seat near Jean-Pierre Noire. "Do you think he's ready?" Noire asked, his words slightly muffled due to the large cigar hanging from his lip. His eyes studied a set of cards in his hand, moving and reorganizing them.

A man across the table threw a few chips into the ever-growing pot as Gerald answered: "Oh yeah, he's ready. And, if he's not...there's always phase two." Gerald laughed, looking to the left where a young woman, clothed only in a dress slip, huddled in a corner, her knees brought up against her chest. She lifted her head at their words, her mouth gagged with a handkerchief, her eyes red, cheeks stained with her falling tears.

Noire let out a chuckle, taking his cigar out of his mouth, the smoke trailing up to the ceiling. "Yes, indeed, phase two." He stood from the table, tossing out his winning poker hand as he left it. Walking over the the girl, he knelt down before her. She winced as he approached, turning her face away from him. Noire grabbed her chin, forcing her to look back up at him, he leaned down, raping her lips with his own briefly before tossing her face away. "Now don't you worry, you'll be able to play your part soon. Ms. Kurata."

To Be Continued . . .

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_(AN: Ah! Cliffhanger! What's you think of that? Violent, yes? Torture and loads of it! Poor Akito-kun! And, the next chapter you'll find out how Sana got there and all, okay? So, please leave your opinions, I'm dying to hear them!!! Thanks!)_


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